Scenes from the Bible today came to life as the final days of
Jesus Christ were re-enacted against a backdrop of iconic Sydney
landmarks, watched by a worldwide TV audience of millions of
people.

Pope Benedict XVI said a prayer at the beginning of today's
three-hour Stations of the Cross, one of the major events of
Sydney's Catholic World Youth Day (WYD) program.

The devotional drama incorporated some distinctly Australian
elements as it played out across six city locations before hundreds
of thousands of pilgrims in Sydney for the six-day youth
festival.

At Sydney Opera House, a crown of thorns was forced onto the
head of Jesus Christ, played by 27-year-old Sydneysider Alfio
Stutio, before he shouldered the cross, passing underneath the
Harbour Bridge on his way to the harbourside site of
Barangaroo.

There, Aboriginal man Craig Duncan, wearing a kangaroo skin and
traditional body paint, portrayed Simon of Cyrene, taking the cross
from Jesus to the sound of the didgeridoo.

As the sun set over Sydney Harbour, Jesus was escorted past the
women of Jerusalem before being placed on the cross and hoisted
into the air.

As darkness fell, the portrayal of Jesus's death on the cross,
and the bringing down of his body, provoked an emotional response
from young pilgrims.

The Russian Church Choir had added to the haunting soundtrack as
pilgrims watched all 13 stages, spanning the Last Supper, to the
judgment of Jesus before Pontius Pilate, and his crucifixion.

Pilgrims were discouraged from physically following the action,
instead watching one station live and viewing the rest on giant
screens.

French pilgrim Gervase Marais said it brought tears to his
eyes.

"It was very emotional, I am glad I am here to see," he said
from the Opera House forecourt.

At the final stations, English woman Rebekah Curran, 18, said
watching the stations had encouraged her to reflect.

"It has been quite emotional. It's a really nice memento from
the week."

Chilean teenager Mariela Jana, 15, praised the performance.

"It is very important for me because now I can see how Jesus
suffered for us and how I can learn and I can be a good
person."

Others were disappointed by the event, complaining some stations
were ill-equipped for the number of pilgrims they attracted.

"It wasn't well prepared or well-communicated to the public,"
Sydney man Carlos Overlar, 43, said after being unable to see The
Last Supper.

The Pope watched the majority of the devotional drama from the
crypt of St Mary's Cathedral, as about 100 performers from around
the world completed the re-enactment.

WYD organisers predicted it would attract up to 500,000
spectators throughout central Sydney.

1216163148183-smh.com.auhttp://www.smh.com.au/news/world-youth-day/pilgrims-relive-the-final-days-of-jesus/2008/07/18/1216163148183.htmlsmh.com.auAAP2008-07-18Pilgrims relive the final days of JesusSpecialsWorldYouthDayhttp://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2008/07/18/stations6_wideweb__470x313,0.jpg

The final days of Jesus ... a re-enactment at Barangaroo.

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